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Frugal Friday’s TPS Report: Animal Print Blouse

Our daily TPS reports suggest one piece of work-appropriate attire in a range of prices. I am loving this blouse from Sabine, available at Piperlime. Love the relaxed vibe to it and the colors. For the office, I'd wear this with a high white camisole (because I am opposed to nude-for-you camisoles) and a blazer, tucked in. In terms of accessories, almost any necklace would work — if I wanted to give it some gravitas I'd wear my pearls, and if I wanted to have more fun with it I might layer some more delicate pendant necklaces. It was $89, but is now marked to $44.99. Animal Print Blouse Seen a great piece you'd like to recommend? Please e-mail tps@corporette.com. (L-2)

Sales of note for 12.3.24 (lots of Cyber Monday deals extended, usually until 12/3 at midnight)

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

189 Comments

  1. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have a deep deep aversion to tie-neck blouses like this. The tie just always ends up looking … wrong … and sloppy. Maybe I’m just not doing it right?

    2. This isn’t my taste at all. It’s too hippy-dippy and casual, even for “me time.”

    3. I had the same reaction to the tie thing. I actually like some of the more substantial, formal looking neck tie blouses, but the string ones look way too casual.

      The sheerness wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me, assuming I styled it per Kat’s suggestion with a blazer on top. And I like the print. Too bad about the strings.

    4. with white capri pants, hair up, sunglasses – a nice spring/summer look. too bad it’s january and cold and blah.

    5. I like this shirt and don’t mind the ties or sheerness. This would definitely be weekend or casual Friday wear for me though. I don’t think it would look right with a blazer.

    6. I agree about the ties. Too casual, esp. in combination with the rest. I don’t mind the sheerness. I would not wear this with pearls.

    7. The tie makes it un”work”able. This is coming from someone who regularly pushes the boundaries of business casual. Cute for the weekend though.

      This is also the style of blouse that could be found for less than $20 at Marshall’s on any given day. That’s not a knock on the shirt, it’s just saying that I wouldn’t pay that price.

  2. I hope I don’t get flamed for this but the idea of wearing pearls with this struck me as so blah. And I love pearls. If a woman with darker skin were to wear pearls with this blouse, I could see it happening.

    1. thank you!!!!!!!!
      I was the one asking about Teach for America and this is a very good read.

        1. TFA is just a scam to replace educated and experienced professionals with kids just out of school on the cheap. It is disgusting.

          1. I think that’s grossly inaccurate, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t think TFA and comparable programs are effective.

  4. Early threadjack! Can you recommend a good moisturizing sunscreen and night moisturizer to use with retin-a? I’m acne-prone, so I need something that is moisturizing but won’t cause me to break out, that doesn’t have any extra exfoliating ingredients. Between retin-a and the NE winter, my skin has been dry and flaky. I tried Cerave pm but it isn’t moisturizing enough for me. I’d prefer something reasonably priced (drugstore to Clinique range), if possible.

    2. I’ve found Clarins’ sunscreen to be very thick, so maybe that will work for you. But I’ve found that using two products – a very effective moisturizer and a lighter sunscreen – works reasonably well for my acne-prone skin. In the winter I use Clinique’s Moisture Surge and Kiehl’s sunscreen.

    3. I love Clinique Moisture Surge and consider it my best beauty finds of 2011. I use it alone at night and under my sunscreen during the day. I think it would pair well with retin-a because it’s gentle and soaks into the skin nicely. I hate that feeling of having tons of product on my face. Clinique also recently came out with Moisture Surge Intense, which I haven’t tried yet but is supposed to be better for the drier months.

    4. I find Origins products work best for me in terms of the balance between effectiveness and non-irritation. They are on par with Clinique in price. If you have a store near you, they have great samples so you can try something out to see if you like it before committing. But if your night moisturizer isn’t cutting it for you, I would consider switching to a cream for the winter. So, perhaps whatever moisturizer you use now but in a heavier form?

      As far as drugstore brands, I have had mixed results with Aveeno products (love their foaming face wash, dislike their moisturizers and eye creams). I have had better luck with Oil of Olay for sensitive skin products.

      In general, I’ve discovered that when I started breaking out in my late 20s, using any acne products only made my skin worse. What helped was switching to sensitive skin/non irritating products and only washing my face w/water in the morning.

      1. I agree with this. Took me ages to figure out that products formulated for oily skin were causing more harm than good.

    5. I’m on a prescription retinoid and your skin sounds exactly like mine. I saw my derm on Monday and she recommended for day use to use CeraVe a.m.(has spf 30). I’m sensitive to chemical sunscreens, so the alternate recommendation was Neutrogena that has a physical sublock (it’s billed for sensitive skin–I think it’s new on the market). She said I should use something heavier around the eyes at night. So she recommended Aquaphor of all things (it’s like a petroleum jelly). I have to say, the difference in just the past couple of days is unbelievable. I can’t believe how little expense as well.

      1. Thanks for the advice! What else do you use with the Aquaphor at night? My main problem areas in terms of flaking are my chin and around my nose, plus I buffer my RA with lotion (at derm’s suggestion), so I’m not sure if aquaphor would work all over.

        1. I have been using only the Aquaphor at night (eyes only). She didn’t say to use anything else. I’m not on Retin-A but Epiduo at night ( Rx mix of benzoyl peroxide and adapalene–adapalene is the same stuff that’s in Differin). Not sure if putting anything else on would affect its absorption? I would be hesitant to do the Aquaphor all over though since it’s pretty goopy.

          I’ve been on RA in the past but it was too drying. It also may be worth a chat with the derm to see if she can get you at a different percentage for winter or do an alternate retinoid (that’s how I ended up on the adapalene).

    6. FYI- Retin-A is the prescription strength version of the compound. Retinol is what you can find over the counter. I like Neutrogina’s retinol product. http://www.drugstore.com/neutrogena-healthy-skin-anti-wrinkle-cream-night-formula/qxp16986 I don’t have bad acne, so I don’t know whether it would work for you, but I find it to be moisturizing. I’m 32 and notice a difference every time I sleep with it. You could also pair it with another night cream without retinol. It retails for only around $14 at the drug store, so it is not a big investment.

      1. This. I currently use it and have seen the benefits. I get less blemishes overall. But I also use the Clarisonic.

    7. Skinceuticals tinted sunscreen, highly recommend as it’s the best physical blocker on the market (non chemical)- protects all day not just for an hour like chemical ones, goes on well. I order it online but dermatologists also sell it. Just be careful on your neck taking clothes on/off- the tint can’t be seen on the skin, but it can rub onto clothes. But- I am skin cancer prone and researched everything to death- this stuff is the best on market.

  5. I like the print but it’s 100% polyester.
    And I can’t imagine a necklace that would look good with a tie-neck.

    1. I hate that I’m so clueless, but what is the main concern with 100% polyester? Is it a comfort thing, or does it just look cheap/bad?

      1. There really needs to be a post on different fabrics with the pros and cons of each. I understand the comfort/ease of wearing polyester but have been much more into wearing (and trying to find) only natural fabrics as of late. Not all polyester looks cheap and wool can be really itchy if it isn’t lined (and try finding lining not made of polyester or acetate). It really seems to be a personal choice.

      2. Polyester doesn’t breathe at all for those of us who are sweat-ers. It just makes me remember my long-sleeved high school volleyball uniform (who decided poly was good for that?)

        Basically, I won’t wear poly as my under layer, but I would be willing to do a poly blazer

    2. Ugh, I think animal prints in colors that animals do not come in are extremely tacky. Sorry all. That with the tie neck and sheer just screams “trashy” to me.

  7. Today I’m trying to be super positive….so, I like the jeans the model is wearing. :-)

    Also, today on the way into work I saw some women rocking the most awesome color combos, including a beautiful purple wool coat with a turquoise hat and a scarf that was purple and turquoise and might have been from the Target by Missoni line. She looked really cute and I wanted to steal the entire look.

    1. I saw someone in a cherry red coat with brown tights and dark camel shoes with a v. light gray scarf that looked awesome. I literally walked by and thought, “take a mental note; must remember that combo!” Brown and red looked so much fresher and more modern than black and red, I was really impressed.

      1. I really like the idea of both of those color combos! I have a bright red coat, too, so I might try and do some iteration of the second one. If it ever gets cold enough in Virginia that knee-length coats are practical…

      2. I wear red with brown & camel all the time. Black can be really harsh, but brown & camel are so nice and warm. I also really like red with charcoal grey.

        1. I love chocolate brown and red (or fuschia) together, but camel and red reminds me of a Staples employee uniform. Sadly, because I think it’s a legitimately fine combo, otherwise.

    2. I have a pair of lipstick red (non-patent) heels that until this month I only wore with neutral colors. My goal now is to pair it with other colors for a more stand-out look. Yesterday I wore them with gray slacks and a turquoise shirt – I think it worked!

  8. Happy threadjack: I was the 3L who posted a while ago frantic over not having a job. But yesterday I got a job offer!!! I feel like I can finally enjoy my last semester. I know I couldn’t have done it without corporette and all the great advice!

  9. Must. start. billing. now. I seem to have zero motivation this week, since it’s a new year for hours. Someone please kick me in the butt!

    2. Me too, my hours this week are embarrassing. It’s sunny and (relatively) warm out here, which makes it even harder.

    3. Me. too. I’ve been stressing out and working as much as possible to try to hit my minimum because we were so incredibly slow for much of the year. My skin and waist definitely show it. I really just can’t care about work at the moment, it’s time to get the skin and waist back in shape.

      1. I am at 4.5 (+.5 pro bono, if you count that), and billed 35.2 for all of December (during which I took no vacation, and put in 19 pro bono).

        1. Wow, your experience is similar to mine (but yours really takes the cake). One of the reasons I need to leave my current firm. Dying. Of. Boredom. There is only so much professional development one can do.

    5. I’m the opposite: have already billed 50 hours this week. And by January 20th must: file and obtain TRO, take deposition of a party in a separate case, and draft 3 responses to summary judgment. All while having weekends partially booked for non-cancellable events. At least I’ll have a strong start to the new year…yay?

      1. Yay, you go, girl! I so wish I was in your position (but switch out litigation stuff for a fun corporate merger).

        Mind you, I would then wish for a somewhat more casual February….

        1. Thanks, Nonny! I’ll be taking an easy February regardless, because my due date is next month. I just wish some of this would have appeared in December when I was dead in the water. Ah, the life of a firm lawyer.

      2. On a trial calendar in late January. Strong start for me too.

        Last year, a 2 week jury trial in February got my year off to a strong start, but I still had to work on New Years Eve to hit 2000. I hate the feast or famine thing. And billable hours generally.

  10. I need to buy a nice gift for a 4 year old boy who is the son of a family friend. I don’t him or his interests well at all. Any suggestions for what’s in trend right now for 4 year olds? My budget is around $40. TIA!

    1. The little wooden trains by Thomas the Tank Engine was my son’s great love around that age.

    2. legos. legos legos legos.

      if you get him a niceish set of the Star Wars or Harry Potter variety, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.

      1. I agree with Legos. Make sure the set you get has a little guy included. My 3.5 year old son is over Thomas et. al. already, so I’m not sure I’d do that unless you know he’s a fan.

        1. Oh yeah, definitely make sure the set includes a minifig (little guy.) It will show you a picture right on the packaging.

      2. 4 years is too young for Harry Potter.
        A light saber is an awesome gift. Bonus if it doesn’t make any sounds.
        Anything dinosaur-related will be appreciated.
        A set of Dr.Seuss books is also a nice and appropriate present.

        Gifter, make sure there is gift receipt.

        1. Only buy a child a light saber if there are no breakable or beloved objects in the house (breakable includes younger siblings). BTDT. The parents will hate you if you do.

        2. my sister in law got my 4 year old a light saber (or saver, as he says) for chirstmas and he LOVES it, though for the reasons stated above, I hate it.

          1. We regularly swashbuckle in our home, but oddly enough my son prefers his old-fashioned “pirate-y” sword over the light saber his uncle got him.

      3. either legos or thomas is great within that budget and loved by my 4 year old boy. I will say re legos though that 4 is just about the time they can start using the small size legos, but my 4 year old isnt allowed to have them yet because he has a 1 year old sister. So if there is a younger child in the house, make sure to get the bigger legos.

      4. If my son could vote, he would also say legos, and he has been obsessed with them since at least age 4. I would get one of the easier kits, but not the large Duplo size, unless there are babies in the house.

        I think the best bet for Legos and a 4 year old right now would be the Toy Story, Alien Conquest or Kingdoms lines.

    3. If you have time to order something, go to Fat Brain Toys .com (Posting with spaces to avoid moderation.) You can search the top-selling toys by gender and age. I bought almost all of my kids Christmas presents there, and they went over very, very well. The customer service and reviews of products are also fantastic.

      1. Seconded! That’s what I did for my own kids (3.5 and 1). If they live somewhere where he can play outside this time of year, I would highly recommend a Stomp Rocket. It can be had at Fat Brain for like 20 bucks and is the most fun toy ever.

    4. Until yesterday, I had a 4 year old boy! (He’s now 5.) Very classically “boy” things are big in our house — Lego sets, Transformers, superheros, etc. — as is pretend play (i.e. fireman, policeman, etc.)

      Big hits in our house from Santa and birthdays this year are:
      Super spy goggles from Wild Planet (fatbraintoys dot com)
      Most of the Imaginext line from Fisher-Price is age-appropriate and great
      A flashlight (not kidding)
      Capes, masks, helmets, etc for dress up
      Hot Wheels and/or Matchbox cars, especially with tracks

      1. OMG! How could I forget the Imaginarium Deluxe Marble Race at Toys R Us? We play with this for HOURS. Very similar to the one at Fat Brain, but not sold out and somewhat cheaper.

      2. Ditto flashlight. Binoculars or a periscope can be fun, too.

        Also reiterate Legos and anything dinosaur.

    6. I second legos. In fact, I still play with legos, and have within the past year. I am 28. And have no kids.

      Engineer in a former life.

      1. Anything Imaginext by Fisher Price. It’s a great line of toys and stands up well to lots of play. Lego can get complicated for a four-year-old, so beware the age notes on the set you buy (“ages 6-12” often means “six with an adult doing the work.”) Also Fisher Price Trio is a great building set.

        1. I love the imaginext line. One of my little nephews has it, and I think it’s the only toy he has that he’s consistently played with over a couple of years. It’s fun for adults to play with too.

      2. I’m 27 and am now having the overwhelming urge to stop at Wal-Mart tonight on the way home and buy myself some Legos. I never want to grow up. :)

          1. I’m 42 and have the Lego Millenium Falcon set on my Amazon wish list. The only reason I haven’t already bought it for myself is that it’s $140.

      3. My son loved Legos, but age 4 is a bit young for the regular Legos, esp. the complicated things like Star Wars. (I boought a bunch for a secreta santa thing, and I think the easiest sets suggested a starting age of maybe 7.) I love all of PT Lawyer’s suggestions. My son — notwithstanding his gender-neutral name and overall upbringing — also loved anything to do with construction.

      4. I am 37 and still play with my Brio train set every time I need to go through storage boxes and run across my childhood toys (I try to reduce the number of boxes in my basement every two years or so). No shame.

      5. I always have an overwhelming urge to buy the Star Wars legos because they didn’t have them as a child and I am so jealous of kids today that have all the awesome legos.

    7. I gave these automoblox toys to my friend’s little boy last year:
      http://tinyurl.com/88bv5eb

      Actually, I ended up having to buy a second set for him, because my brother-in-law and my nieces got hooked on the original set.

      1. Second automoblox. I bought this same set for my BF’s nephew for his 4th birthday. The quality is awesome and on a smooth floor the cars fly…

    8. I got my 4 year old nephew a Star Wars light saber recently and it was a huge hit. Also, a Darth Vader mask.

      1. Ha, my supervisor brought his 4-year-old son into work last week with his Darth Vader mask with prerecorded sound bites. It may have been my most favorite day at work ever.

        1. That sounds like it would be my favorite day ever! One of my runners’ 4-year-old nephews was living with him for a while, and we would always play Luke Skywalker (him) vs. the Dark Side (me) at meets, complete with light saber and blaster sound effects. In case you can’t tell, I am a very dignified person.

        2. Godzilla and a. I am so happy to see someone saying something positive about a kid coming to work, for once. Good on you.

    9. My youngest ds LOVED Trio building systems at that age. Really easy to put together, easy to build cool things. They were played with much more than the Duplo (bigger lego) we had. Also, you can get superhero themed ones – like Superman & Batman. Kid K’Nex are also great, but 4 might be a tad young for them, I can’t remember.

    10. The other thing to consider is what the parents may have objections to on moral grounds. For instance, I have a close friend who doesn’t let her boys have toy guns or other weapons. (Of course, the boys make their own or pretend with other items…but she prefers not to have them in her house for personal reasons.) My house is filled to the brim with light sabers and nerf guns, but I don’t buy any for her kids for birthdays to be respectful of her. How well do you know the family friends?

    11. Wow, there is a serious fan base for legos on this group. Legos it is. Thanks for all these tips, ladies!!

  11. Can someone tell me how to find the thread where there was a discussion of things to do in London? I tried the lijit search box, but didn’t find what I was looking for. I should not be this tech-unsavvy!

    2. Try searching google for

      site:corporette.com “london”

      I think Lijit only works on what’s in the text of the post, not the comments.

    3. For searching comments, go to google and enter “corporette.com: SEARCH TERM”, and replace SEARCH TERM with whatever you words you want to search.

    4. Thanks, ladies! My hubby is in London now and I just emailed him all of the great suggestions that were made. If I can’t be there with him, at least I can hear about what a wonderful time he had when he gets back!

  12. I don’t mind the sheerness or the style. I like the print. I don’t mind the 100% polyester. But 100% polyester and dry clean only? THAT I object to.

    1. I always machine wash polyester tops. I can’t ever fathom drycleaning them- isn’t the whole point of polyester that it is supposed to be easy care?

      1. Seconded. I would throw this in the wachine machine without a second thought. But because it is sheer, it might be a bit delicate for the dryer.

  13. Hi Corprettes, I finally got onto Rue La La and I’m wondering just how soon after the day’s items are posted does one have to go purchase something? Seems like by the time I go to the site to look what they have, everything is sold out.

    Also, how often does the “Still Want it?” actually come to fruition and you get something that was sold out.

    Any other Rue La La tips appreciated!

    thanks,
    DC Association (figured posting under my usual name wouldn’t get as many answers as using the “question” as the post name)

    1. I recommend checking as soon as the sale starts. Some people are just lying in wait for those sales. I did the wait list for either rue la la or gilt and I did end up getting the item. It was a couple weeks later (I guess someone had returned it), and they emailed me to see if I wanted to order it – I had a limited time to respond. Good thing was you didn’t have to commit to buying it when you got on the wait list. So put your name on there!

    2. There was a recent NYT article about shopping the flash sites. You can google it. It basically said that (1) flash sites don’t necessarily have the best prices, (2) the whole “it will be sold out if I don’t buy right now” is basically a ploy to get you to buy what you otherwise wouldn’t and (3) the “still want it” option (basically a wait list for things that get returned) is an excellent option because if you still want it after waiting to get off the list, then you’re probably getting a good-for-you deal.

    1. Don’t know about bags, but just wanted to say that I got a cute opera-length necklace this fall there that I loved, and the clasp broke this morning on probably the third or fourth time I’ve ever tried to use it (since it is opera-length so don’t usually need to unclasp it). I would only get AT, ATL, BR, maybe JCrew, etc. products if they are at least 30% off, ideally more, because I just think everything they make is poor quality.

  15. I have a bunch of old family photos that I’d like to make “copies” of for various albums (think childhood pictures, photos of ancestors etc). They were taken long before the digital age. Anyone know of a good way to have these scanned/copied and printed out on photo paper? I know they won’t be perfect duplicates, but I’m just looking for as-g0od-as-I-can-get.

    Thanks in advance!

    1. I know you can send them to snapfish and they will scan them all and send you back your photos and a DVD of them. You can then print from that, or order the prints from snapfish. They do minimal touch-ups as well.

      I haven’t used it (yet) but have been considering it. I think it’s called Snapcafe or something like that?

    2. I’ve done this by taking them to FedEx/Kinkos and using their photo scanning machine. You can print them in different sizes and crop them if you want.

    3. Oh, and I should add that I want a brick & mortar solution (I am definitely not comfortable sending out these treasured images and risking losing them!).

      1. Walgreens. Though be warned – if the photos are professional photos, they probably won’t reprint them unless they’re super old. It’s a copyright issue (I used to work there in high school/college and we ran into this issue a few times).

        1. If you’re in the midwest, check out Archiver’s. (It’s a scrapbook store.) They have cool photo machines and everything in the store is about preservation, acid-free paper, etc.

          1. Youngster – you rock! This is perfect. I’m not in the Midwest but they do have a location about 30 minutes away from my southern city, so I’ll be making a trip there shortly. Thanks for the recommendation!

    4. If you want something better than drugstore quality snapshots, go to a professional photo lab. If you don’t know of any near you, I’d start with Ritz Camera’s website and search by location.

      Or if you’re in NYC, my brother can do it. (:

    5. do you have the negatives? My mom bought a negative scanner that connects to the computer; I’ve been slowly scanning all our old pictures onto the computer so they can be printed that way when I go home (Note that despite the fact my mother bought the scanner, she doesn’t actually know how to use it. This is a recurring them with my parents and technology.

  16. CBackson: please don’t think I’m stalking. I read last nights thread this AM.

    Have you tried a Barre workout? Very intense but not yelly at all. Total body workout, arm work gives me jello arms after class. I can personally recommend the women at Barre3 in seattle. I used to go there 1-2 times a week and LOVED it and them. More intense than yoga, adds in balance and flexibility (works the muscles running misses) and is really fun. It’s pretty female oriented (there may be 0-1 men in class) and as a result it doesn’t use the tactics that you’ve described having a problem with.

    1. Ooh, so I have also been thinking about Barre3, because I have a friend who’s been going there and really likes it. The location’s not awesome for me (I think the only one is on Cap Hill?), but I like the sound of it a lot.

      1. Is G’Town any better? It just opened this week – the only reason I remembered was Gilt DC or RueLaLa DC email recently.

        Have you thought about TRX? It’s definitely offered at Vida VZ (extra fee) as well as Stroga.

        1. Sorry, we’re getting our Washingtons crossed! Capitol Hill is a neighborhood in Seattle…as is Georgetown.

    2. I am taking a barre class tomorrow – looking forward to it! What is the best thing to wear?

      1. At my nyc studio the norm is leggings/crops or yoga pants with a workout tank or technical tee. Have fun!

      2. Stretchy pants that are not too loose (because it’s annoying when your legs are up and the pants slide down), workout tank (I get sweaty in barre classes; and most other women just like to show off their lulu tops and defined shoulders)

    3. I started doing barre workouts (mostly on DVD, but a few classes) after the discussion this summer. I love them! As a runner/cyclist that prefers something a little more “active” than yoga, I like Physique 57 the best of the DVDs I’ve tried because it’s faster paced and gets your heart pumping. It’s also been so great from a strengthening and shaping standpoint–I feel better when I run because it works those support muscles, and it helps give a better shape to my bulky quads (and formerly pancake flat hamstrings). Sadly, they only offer classes in L.A. and NYC, but the DVDs are great! If you’re set on a live class, still try one of the other barre studios–even though Physique is my favorite of the barre classes, I prefer any barre “brand” over Pilates and yoga.

      1. I’ve been doing barre classes on and off for 2 years now, and am going to my first pilates reformer class tomorrow. I assumed it would work my core more, whereas the barre classes work your legs and arms a lot.

  17. Hey, ladies. I’m looking for brightly colored, chunky necklaces that don’t cost that much. Basically, I want things to brighten up a boring gray suit, for example. Any ideas for stores? I’ve posted some from Anthro that I like below just so you can see what I’m wanting. These aren’t too expensive, but I’d like to increase my collection substantially, so buying several $48 necklaces would certainly add up. And I would love a suggestion from Etsy, but everything I’ve seen there has been too expensive for me.

    http://tinyurl.com/87g5kfh
    http://tinyurl.com/72hvy2s
    http://tinyurl.com/6wltch3
    http://tinyurl.com/8ymmnrh

      1. I was just going to say the same thing. I was there last weekend picking up a blanket and was shocked by the fun jewlery they had.

        Ditto Etsy mentioned below.

  18. Hey, ladies. I’m looking for brightly colored, chunky necklaces that don’t cost that much. Basically, I want things to brighten up a boring gray suit, for example. Any ideas for stores? I’ve posted some from Anthro that I like below just so you can see what I’m wanting. These aren’t too expensive, but I’d like to increase my collection substantially, so buying several $48 necklaces would certainly add up. And I would love a suggestion from Etsy, but everything I’ve seen there has been too expensive for me.

    * I got moderated, so I’ll post the links in a comment.

    2. I’ll leave any Etsy suggestions to Kanye East, but I’d also recommend doing some searches on Amazon. They have a surprising variety of stuff for a pretty good range of prices (and I’ve liked the quality of things I’ve purchased on there).

    3. Do you have Cost Plus World Market near where you live? Their jewelry is inexpensive and very colorful.

      1. Second World Market. They have cool stuff! Other than that, TJ Maxx and Marshall’s might work, and Old Navy sometimes has some eye-poppingly bright accessories. I haven’t been in recently, so I can’t speak to their current collection, but I saw some bright enameled jewelry there a while ago.

        Are there any craft fairs coming up in your area? That could be a good place to look, too.

    4. I’m not sure where you live, but Bliss Jewelry in Saint Michaels (on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, about 2 hours from DC) sells incredible, unique jewelry at really great prices. You can get good pieces that work well with a suit for $15-20. They have a website that you can get by googling Bliss Jewelry Saint Michaels, although their selection is limited online and the website is not that active. The selection changes constantly in the store – it is my professional necklace go-to place.

    5. These are way more than your budget, but I recently found this seller on etsy (TaraLynEvans) who has lovely, brightly colored chunky necklaces. I received one of her necklaces as a Christmas gift and love it!

      http://www.etsy.com/shop/TaraLynEvans

      Coldwater Creek sometimes has really nice necklaces too, and there are always coupons and sales there.

    6. Do you have a Charming Charlies where you live? Their stuff isn’t the highest quality (possibly the lowest quality), but it is cheap and colorful.

    7. If you live in a fairly urban area, there are usually street jewelry sellers that have reasonably priced chunky necklaces made of natural and semiprecious stones. I think many etsy sellers have the same.

  19. I don’t remember who recommended Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure, but thank you! My mani has been going strong for a week with no signs of wear, and all it took was two coats of this miracle in a bottle!

    1. About manicures: I’m a life-long nail biter and I am midway through quitting (yeah!). Last Saturday I had a manicure and (for the first time ever) used an almost-black purple color on my natural nails.

      I haven’t bitten or picked at them all week! There is just something about this color that reminds me that I really want to quit and that I can do it. Previous times that I quit, I have completely ruined the (natural-color) manicure by this time and reverted to my nail biting ways. And yes, I do even pull off/mess with shellac, wraps, and artificial nails.

      I know this won’t work for everyone and it’s barely working for me (oh the will power). It’s but another trick for breaking this awful, horrible habit that’s worth trying.

    2. I bought a bottle after someone recommended it a few weeks ago as well — the curved brush is great! The polish didn’t last a week for me, but then again I usually chip manage to chip up nailpolish within hours.

  20. Hi Corprettes, I finally got onto Rue La La and I’m wondering just how soon after the day’s items are posted does one have to go purchase something? Seems like by the time I go to the site to look what they have, everything is sold out.

    Also, how often does the “Still Want it?” actually come to fruition and you get something that was sold out.

    Any other Rue La La tips appreciated!

    apologize if this gets posted twice, first time I was in moderation – why, not sure!

  21. Am I the only one who prefers “nude for you” camis under tops like this? I feel like a sharp color contrast draws more attention to the bust/up top area for us busty gals.

    1. i think it’s entirely a matter of personal preference.
      the benefit of a white, visible camisole is that it’s unobtrusive, but leaves no room for doubt on whether or not you are wearing anything beneath the sheer layer.

      1. I agree on leaving no doubt as to whether there is another shirt under, so it usually how I go (especially at work). But I do agree that “nude” is superior visually. I use them when I need another layer but it’s not obvious to someone else that I do, if that makes sense. For example, under a slightly-too-thin sweater.

    2. I would actually do a colored cami that matches whatever I’m wearing on the bottom – if denim, then a navy cami (or tank).

      Then you get the flattering column of color and no one will be staring at you trying to see whether you have a bra on under your sheer top. (Men at my workplace, I’m talking about you.)

    3. Nope, I prefer them, too. White camis often distract from the look of the blouse – it becomes a focal point. It also makes the look more casual I think.

  22. I came into work this morning and found a card sitting on my desk. It was from a (pro se) defendant on one of my cases. He wrote to thank me for my professionalism and time spent brokering a deal between him and my client. It’s not 100% set in stone just yet, but definitely looks like we’ll be able to get to a desirable resolution in the very near future.
    I sometimes joke that, because of what I do and who I represent, I’m not usually the most popular attorney in the room. But it’s nice to know that I can still do some good just the same.

    2. What we do for a living is almost always less important than how we treat people when we do it. :)

  23. Techie question:

    I got a Samsung Netbook for Christmas and I have had problems with it since I took it out of the box. It is super slow, and websites, particularly this one, are always freezing up. The tech support at Samsung had me do a complete restore and I still had the problem. They think it is Norton Anti Virus I put on there. So I took that off, but it seems Norton left some crap on there with no way to uninstall and I might have to try another complete restore which I’d rather not do.

    I’m trying to decide whether this is a fixable issue or if it is just what a Netbook is like. I otherwise like it. Does anyone surf Corporette from a low ram Netbook? Does it freeze up a lot? It just seems absurd that software preloaded by windows, sold with my Netbook, is causing it to crash.

    Thoughts?

    1. Ok, found a way to uninstall the remaining Norton stuff. I think the issue might just be the low ram and websites that use a lot of ads (sorry Kat!). I wonder if using an adblock would help. I currently use Chrome but could switch to Firefox. Hmmm…..

      Or I could just try to get Samsung to take it back and get something else. Not sure if they would.

      1. Norton and Mcafee are both the devil. Seriously. We use AVG on our PCs and it works much better.

        My netbook was really slow in law school at first, but then my husband put some more memory on it and installed Windows 7 on it and it worked much better. I also recommend Chrome, as I found Firefox too buggy to be useful.

        I also recommend deleting some of the random programs that come on Windows that you’ll never use, they sometimes slow the computer down too.

      2. How’d you uninstall the remaining Norton stuff? I’ve gone through the basic process of uninstalling Norton on my computer, but there are always remaining traces of Norton! No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get rid of everything!

        1. Hope you see this. Normally, I uninstall things straight from the icon on the start menu or desktop. Instead, I went to control panel, uninstall programs, and it listed a march larger list of programs and I uninstalled a few Norton things I found there that weren’t in the other locations. There may be more yet.

      3. You can install Adblock and Flashblock on Chrome too. I actually just discovered this a few weeks ago, as it was the big reason I still used Firefox. Then I couldn’t use Firefox at work because it’s an old version that Westlaw next doesn’t work on, but my IT privileges won’t allow me to update to the latest Firefox. Yet I can install new software, so voila! Chrome it is, and I love it now that I can use my Adblock and Flashblock.

    2. I bought a netbook last year and basically never use it because it is soooo slow. Different brand. I’ve decided they’re useless little things.

      1. Yes, they seemed to be the rage in 2008-2009, before tablets were popular. In general they’re processors and RAM is just too slow. I used mine to take notes in law school because of the portability and have barely looked at it since them. (btw I have an acer). So anyway, I jsut brought it on vacation to use (I don’t own a tablet and didn’t want to bring my full size laptop) and the thing crapped out on me mid trip! I haven’t had a chance yet to do a full diagnosis, but I’m hoping to bring it back to life for email and word processing access on the go.

    3. Try Chrome. My netbook runs much smoother with Chrome than any other browser (though I got the Asus netbook). Goodluck!

    4. It shouldn’t be what a netbook is like. Mine is by Toshiba and came with 1 gig of RAM, and within a couple of months I upgraded to 2 gigs. (The extra stick was about $50 and my friend did a simple pop-it-in with a screwdriver at Starbucks.)

      I use Firefox with AdBlockPlus and avast! free antivirus; I’m the kind of person that sits down with a new machine for an hour and strips the bloatware/shipware and installs my own stuff. If you go that route, be very careful to inspect all the install screens because a lot of freeware will try to piggyback something like Norton along with it if you don’t uncheck a box.

      Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Just wanted to reinforce that most websurfing shouldn’t be a problem with a netbook.

      1. Your so smart! Thank you so very much!!!!! My notebook computer is all buggy b/c Alan had used it to visit all kinds of smutty sights useing my DSL, and then he left me after I told him not to drink any more.

        I do NOT have a boyfriend to do this for me so I will go home myeself and get this virus software, and mabye also upgrade to Window’s 7 and then have s0mething that will do MORE then to collect dust on my bookeshelf.

        Thank you again.

      2. I’m a big fan of the website majorgeeks dot com. They have a page that lists each category of software you need to install to protect your machine, and options within each category. They also host downloads on their site that are often already stripped of the “crap” like a Yahoo search toolbar.

    5. I have an eee PC netbook. It’s great and I highly recommend it. It’s been two years and the case is starting to break down but the computing is still going strong. Eh, it was $400. I use it to watch videos on Hulu and Amazon because I don’t have a TV.

      I agree with the other posters, Norton and McAfee are horrible. I use Avast! antivirus (in pirate mode) on my netbook and have had no problems. I’ve previously used AVG on other laptops and that is good as well (but doesn’t have a pirate mode).

  24. NYC ‘Rettes,

    Can anyone give me the names of stores on Orchard Street that sell courtroom-appropriate business suits?

    When I last lived in NYC (early ’90s), there were stores on Orchard Street with racks and racks of Nipon, Levine, Dior, Grossman, Tahari etc. business suits, each still in its plastic wrapper, at very reasonable prices. Do those stores still exist?

    I will be in NYC in a couple weeks and could really use a couple court-appropriate suits.

    TIA.

  25. Two questions:
    1) I’ve been using Olay Regenerist stuff on my eyes for about a month and I feel like it is causing my eyebrows to grow out superfast, as in I need to get them waxed every week. Has anyone else had this experience ?
    2) This is gross but, how do you get smells out of shoes? My basic black Louboutins reek. I don’t have this problem with other shoes. I read online that shoes smells are caused by bacteria, so the bacteria needs to die to get rid of the odor. The websites suggested freezing the shoes and wiping down the insides with rubbing alcohol. I did both, but the smell persisted. Tips?

    2. You might try a baking soda paste, but depending on what the lining of the shoe is like, that may not work.

    4. You may just have to wear stockings/tights/knee highs with them so there’s a layer between your foot and the shoe. And when the weather gets warmer, you could try wearing those no-show socks.

      Thanks for the tip about that eye cream, I think I’m going to try that Olay Regenerist stuff. I’ve been trying to grow out my eyebrows but they won’t. Maybe this will speed up the pace ;)

      1. I use the Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum, Fragrance Free. Based on comments in Beautypedia, I don’t use the product formulated specially for eyes, but instead use the serum for the whole face. (Beautypedia said the formulations are essentially the same, but the eye product costs 3x as much).

        I’ve tried Febreeze, and it worked until I wore the shoes again. I’m going to sprinkle in baking soda tonight and let it soak over the weekend. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have the cobbler replace the insoles. I’m afraid the smell may have spread to the sides too. So gross.

    5. Trying stuffing them with newspaper. This might work better when the shoes are freshly stinkified, because it will absorb moisture and help prevent bacteria from growing, but you could try it. I also wonder if vodka might work – I know that wardrobe people in theater often spray costumes with vodka if they get stinky and can’t be cleaned.

    6. Order a pair of stuffits. (google it.) They are awesome and work great on my stinky bike shoes (I don’t wear socks with them and they were headed for the biohazard red bags soon.)
      Just put them in whenever you’re not wearing them.

      They work great on running shoes too. (Never tried them on dress shoes, but I would imagine you’ll have good results.)

    7. 1. I looked through the ingredients and maybe it’s the panthenol that’s making your brows grow faster? That’s pretty remarkable. Do you put this anywhere near your lashes? Might be a cheaper alternative to Revitalash.
      2. Stick a sheet of Bounce in each shoe overnight.

      1. Very interesting. I basically put a small dab on each index finger, and rub it over my whole eye area, from where my dark circles start, up to my brows, and over to where I am trying to avoid having crows feet grow. I haven’t noticed any change in my eyelashes, but I haven’t been looking for one, and they’ve always been pretty long.

  26. Anyone know any great hetero single guys in the 25-40ish age range? I work in an almost all female field and someone mentioned how many great single guys are in the legal field because they’re working too often to date…

    Forget paying for match.com (never worked for me, nor has okcupid), I figured I’d ask here! :)

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